Greater New Orleans

Legislative whimpering ends with a bang: John Maginnis

The Senate president was beside himself. "Do you see what they are doing in there?" Joel Chaisson exclaimed to a reporter in the House foyer as the minutes ticked down to the end of the legislative session June 21.

At stake was Chaisson's very big bill to allow private lawyers to work for a percentage of what the state would recover in its lawsuit against BP for the Gulf oil spill.

According to one's viewpoint, what they, House of Representatives members, were doing was killing his bill by running out the clock. Or they, principally House Speaker Jim Tucker, were refusing to be jammed into passing what he called "a greedy bill."

Minutes later, Chaisson was beside Tucker at the speaker's rostrum, loudly demanding a vote on his bill. He didn't get it, as 6 p.m. struck on the only sure thing in a legislative session, final adjournment. Chaisson's bill and several dozen others expired waiting to be heard in both chambers.

Chaisson had his say back in the Senate, railing about House leaders being in the pockets of Big Oil, while Tucker would say Chaisson's behavior in the House was unacceptable and would get him thrown out if it happens again.

It was the most pressure-filled, contentious, chaotic ending to a meeting of the Legislature in years. It was also about time. Despite that some serious issues were left unresolved, it was refreshing to see this bunch finally get worked up over something.

In recent years, both houses have finished their business in time for members to spend the last hour reading poems and tributes to each other, which can be sickening. This year, not a few legislators left the Capitol disturbed, frustrated and angry, which is in line with how many of their constituents feel about what went on.

The session that ended with a bang started that way too, with a rare contested election for the No. 2 leadership post in the House, instead of representatives docilely going along with the speaker's choice.

When it came down to the vote, Rep. Noble Ellington reached back to childhood for the words to challenge his colleagues: "I double dog dare you to do what you think is the right thing to do."

Not enough did, though it was close. Rep. Joel Robideaux, I-Lafayette, was elected speaker pro tem.

Between a raucous start and finish the session settled into a prolonged whimper, with lawmakers stuck in the muck of a budget impasse they could not break and the oil spill catastrophe they could not affect. The languor weighed on the quality of debate and rhetoric, though there were moments.

When Sen. Dan Claitor brought to committee his package of legislation to change alcohol sales regulations, Chairman Danny Martiny tried to be helpful by asking, "Which one of your bills do you want us to kill first?"

Veteran members grew wary of the process by which amendments were used to fix bad bills, only to make them worse, a sentiment Rep. Tom McVea expressed in saying, "It always concerns me when I see a set of amendments that are thicker than the original bill."

Prohibitions against cyberbulling, sexting and texting while driving were enacted along with a new cherished freedom, the right to take your guns to church. Seeking guidance from a favored source, Rep. Ernest Wooton challenged naysayers, "I want to see in the Bible where it says you can't bring a gun into church."

To which Rep. Barbara Norton responded, "If you need to have a gun in church, you need to go to another church."

Sen. Joe McPherson shared with colleagues that his recent colonoscopy reminded him of the legislative process, with a major difference. At the hospital, he said, "they give you an anesthetic."

For putting one to sleep, an explanation of Medicaid rules can also do the trick. After his testimony in committee, Health & Hospitals Secretary Alan Levine offered a translation: "If y'all want that in English, we can get that for you later."

Clarity is often overrated, if not unhelpful, as Sen. Robert Adley noted in praising Sen. Ed Murray, who "has made a great career out of mumbling down here at the microphone."

Adley himself conceded that confusion was no stranger when he concluded, "I don't know who's right. I don't know who's wrong. That's not unusual, is it?"

John Maginnis is an independent journalist covering Louisiana politics. He can be contacted at www.LaPolitics.com.